From Simon Ponsonby:
* The spiritual man has his minds on things that God desires.
* The natural man has his mind on things the flesh craves.
* The spiritual man has a mind that brings life and peace.
* The natural man has a mind that brings death.
* The spiritual man has a mind that lives to please God and submit to his law.
* The natural man has a mind hostile to God tha rejects God's law.
* The spiritual man's mind is filled with the things of the Spirit.
* The natural man's mind is filled with the things of this world.
The observations (and ramblings) of a Real Person searching for the Real God in the Real World.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Way Truth Life
From St. Hilary of Poitiers:
---------------------------------------
"He who is the Way doesn't sidetrack us or lead us into spacious wastelands. He who is the Truth doesn't mock us with lies. He who is the Life doesn't betray us with deathly delusions. Christ chose these names for Himself to indicate His methods for our salvation. As the Way, He will guide us to the Truth. And the Truth will root us in in the Life. Therefore, it is vital that we know the mysterious way (which He reveals) of attaining this life."
---------------------------------------
"He who is the Way doesn't sidetrack us or lead us into spacious wastelands. He who is the Truth doesn't mock us with lies. He who is the Life doesn't betray us with deathly delusions. Christ chose these names for Himself to indicate His methods for our salvation. As the Way, He will guide us to the Truth. And the Truth will root us in in the Life. Therefore, it is vital that we know the mysterious way (which He reveals) of attaining this life."
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tertullian on Prayer
"Prayer is the wall of faith. It arms us and hurls missiles against the enemy who watches us on all sides. So we never walk unarmed. By day, we are aware of our post -- by night, of our vigil. Under the armor of prayer, we guard the banner of our General."
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Christ-likeness
From Simon Ponsonby's The Pursuit of the Holy:
"Christ is sinless, and as we allow ourselves to be led bythe Spirit, something of that sinless nature rubs off on us. As we devote ourselves to Jesus, constantly looking to him, meditating on his sublime words, his sinless life, his grace-filled acts, his agonizing substitutionary death, his victorious resurrection, his glorious ascension, his majestic reign, his anticipated glory, his unassailable power, his matchless beauty, his breathtaking wisom -- oh, as we look face-to-face with Jesus, so we are transformed, perfected, like a caterpillar changed into a butterfly. But we must make time to meditate on Christ and allow the Spirit to mold us into his likeness."
"Christ is sinless, and as we allow ourselves to be led bythe Spirit, something of that sinless nature rubs off on us. As we devote ourselves to Jesus, constantly looking to him, meditating on his sublime words, his sinless life, his grace-filled acts, his agonizing substitutionary death, his victorious resurrection, his glorious ascension, his majestic reign, his anticipated glory, his unassailable power, his matchless beauty, his breathtaking wisom -- oh, as we look face-to-face with Jesus, so we are transformed, perfected, like a caterpillar changed into a butterfly. But we must make time to meditate on Christ and allow the Spirit to mold us into his likeness."
Friday, May 06, 2011
Humanity
From The Sign of the Cross, by Andreas Andreopolous:
"The repercussions of the fall of our forebears were so grim not because humans introduced sin to the world but because of the special position God gave humanity. According to the tradition of the church, the human being stands in the middle of all creation, participating in the spiritual as well as in the material world. The place of humanity is therefore above that of angels, who are normally limited to the invisible world. The cosmic dimensions of humanity exceed anything we might imagine. In perfected creation, humans would stand in the center, transmitting the will and the love of God to every corner of the world."
"The repercussions of the fall of our forebears were so grim not because humans introduced sin to the world but because of the special position God gave humanity. According to the tradition of the church, the human being stands in the middle of all creation, participating in the spiritual as well as in the material world. The place of humanity is therefore above that of angels, who are normally limited to the invisible world. The cosmic dimensions of humanity exceed anything we might imagine. In perfected creation, humans would stand in the center, transmitting the will and the love of God to every corner of the world."
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Changed for the Better
From Gregory of Nyssa:
"The Divine Word doesn't want us to be slaves of anything; our nature has been changed for the better. He has taken everyuthing that was ours with the agreement that He will give what is His to us in return. Justr as He took diseasse, death, condemnation, and sin, He also took our bondage.
There won't be disease, condemnation, sin, or death in the life that we hope for. Anbd bondage will also vanish. The Truth Himself testifies to this. Let all now, as never before, look up at the truth and see that He who owns allt he Father's things is Lord of all and isn't a servant."
"The Divine Word doesn't want us to be slaves of anything; our nature has been changed for the better. He has taken everyuthing that was ours with the agreement that He will give what is His to us in return. Justr as He took diseasse, death, condemnation, and sin, He also took our bondage.
There won't be disease, condemnation, sin, or death in the life that we hope for. Anbd bondage will also vanish. The Truth Himself testifies to this. Let all now, as never before, look up at the truth and see that He who owns allt he Father's things is Lord of all and isn't a servant."
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Jesus' sepulchre
From Pascal's Pensees #560:
"Jesus was dead but seen on the cross. He was dead and hidden in the sepulchre.
Jesus was buried only by saints.
Jesus peformed nio miracles in the sepulchre.
Only saints went into it.
It was there that Jesus took on a new life, not on the cross.
This is the supreme mystery of the Passion and Redemption.
Jesus teaches alive, dead, buried, risen again.
Jesus had nowhere on earth to rest except in the sepulchre.
His enemies only ceased tormenting him in the sepulchre.
"Jesus was dead but seen on the cross. He was dead and hidden in the sepulchre.
Jesus was buried only by saints.
Jesus peformed nio miracles in the sepulchre.
Only saints went into it.
It was there that Jesus took on a new life, not on the cross.
This is the supreme mystery of the Passion and Redemption.
Jesus teaches alive, dead, buried, risen again.
Jesus had nowhere on earth to rest except in the sepulchre.
His enemies only ceased tormenting him in the sepulchre.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Sufficient
From Thomas a Kempis:
"Give, therefore, place to Christ and refuse entrance to all others. When thou hast Christ, thou art rich, and hast sufficient. He shall be thy provider and faithful watchman in all things, so that thou hast no need to trust in men, for men soon change and swiftly pass away, but Christ remaineth for ever standeth by us firmly even to the end."
"Give, therefore, place to Christ and refuse entrance to all others. When thou hast Christ, thou art rich, and hast sufficient. He shall be thy provider and faithful watchman in all things, so that thou hast no need to trust in men, for men soon change and swiftly pass away, but Christ remaineth for ever standeth by us firmly even to the end."
Monday, March 21, 2011
Earthly & Divine Wisdom
from Clement of Alexandria:
"The Savior teaches nothing in a merely human way, but teaches His own with Divine wisdom. Therefore, we must not listen to His words with worldly ears. We must search out and lern the meaning hidden in them. For what the Lord seems to have simplified for the disciples requires even more attention than puzzling statements because of its overabundance of wisdom. In addition, the things He explained to His children require even more consideration than the things which seem to have been simply stated."
"The Savior teaches nothing in a merely human way, but teaches His own with Divine wisdom. Therefore, we must not listen to His words with worldly ears. We must search out and lern the meaning hidden in them. For what the Lord seems to have simplified for the disciples requires even more attention than puzzling statements because of its overabundance of wisdom. In addition, the things He explained to His children require even more consideration than the things which seem to have been simply stated."
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Sin & Forgiveness
From St. Augustine:
"For if He who neither has, nor had, nor will have any sin, prays for our sins, how much more ought we to pray for one another's in return! And if He forgives us, whom we have nothing to forgive, how much more ought we, who are unable to live here without sin, to forgive one another!"
"For if He who neither has, nor had, nor will have any sin, prays for our sins, how much more ought we to pray for one another's in return! And if He forgives us, whom we have nothing to forgive, how much more ought we, who are unable to live here without sin, to forgive one another!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)